Summary of OCR Final Rule
On November 18, 2013, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“Commission”) published new ownership and control rules and related forms to enhance its identification of futures and swap market participants (the “OCR Final Rule”). Please review the OCR Final Rule in the Federal Register (2013-26789) or review the PDF copy of the OCR Final Rule. Note that Section VI of the OCR Final Rule includes information on data submission standards and procedures, including the requirement that reporting parties provide such test data as may be requested by Commission staff.
Staff No-Action Letter 24-14
On September 25, 2024, the Commission’s Division of Market Oversight (DMO) issued the following no-action letter related to the OCR Final Rule:
- Press Release 8980-24 provides information regarding No-Action Letter 24-14. The Letter extends current relief and provides additional time-limited relief from several reporting obligations on the OCR forms.
All reporting parties should review the no-action letter for important additional information.
Technical Guidance Document
Staff has prepared a technical guidance document in connection with the OCR Final Rule. The technical guidance document provides detailed instructions on submitting data in connection with the OCR Final Rule via FTP to the Commission, including a data dictionary for mapping data elements to an OCR submission. The chart below includes links to the current version of the technical guidance document, along with the prior version and a blackline between the two versions:
| Version | Publication date | Link |
| 4 | July 1, 2014 | Technical guidance document; version 4 |
| 5.1 | May 25, 2016 | Technical guidance document; version 5.1 |
| Blackline between version 4 and version 5.1 | ||
XML Schema Definitions and Rule Validations
Staff has also prepared a zip file containing XML Schema Definitions (XSDs) for use in generating valid XML for OCR submissions, as described in the technical guidance document. The two XSD files define batch and form level elements and shared attribute types that may be reused during a form submission.
A PDF is available describing the rule validations that will be performed against every 102 submission as they are processed by CFTC data loaders. The spreadsheet details a description of each rule, the associated attribute(s) in the XSD and the error message that will be returned if the submission does not pass validation. Reporting parties should review the spreadsheet in conjunction with the technical guidance document, which includes detailed instructions and other important information regarding the data submission process pursuant to the OCR Final Rule.
Information on CFTC Portal
Reporting firms can provide email addresses through the CFTC Portal at https://portal.cftc.gov. The Commission will use these email addresses to provide feedback to reporting parties on their form 102 file submissions during the testing process. A PDF is available describing the notification email registration process.
How to Contact the Commission with Questions
If you have any technical questions regarding the format, content, or transmission of OCR data to the Commission, please email the Commission at [email protected]
Important Disclosure Regarding Technical Guidance Document
The technical guidance document was drafted consistent with the OCR Final Rule, and all relevant communications from Commission staff are also intended to be consistent with the OCR Final Rule. In the event of any conflict between the requirements of the OCR Final Rule (including the questions and instructions on the reporting forms attached thereto) and (a) the technical guidance document, (b) any verbal communications by Commission staff regarding the technical guidance document or the OCR Final Rule or (c) responses from Commission staff to technical questions sent to the email address listed above, the OCR Final Rule controls. Any necessary revisions to the technical guidance document identified following its publication will be reflected in an updated version of the document.
The OMB control number for the collection of information pursuant to the OCR Final Rule is 3038-0103. Please be advised that pursuant to 5 CFR § 1320.5(b)(2)(i), you are not required to respond to the collection of information pursuant to the OCR Final Rule unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.